


I'll Take You Home

by comebaekhome, exohousewarming



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/F, Female Baekhyun, Female Chanyeol, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-09
Updated: 2017-10-09
Packaged: 2019-01-15 05:51:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12315021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/comebaekhome/pseuds/comebaekhome, https://archiveofourown.org/users/exohousewarming/pseuds/exohousewarming
Summary: Prompt number:23Side Pairings (if any):N/AWarnings:Bullying, HomophobiaSummary:Sometimes Chanyeol just wants to be left alone. Others, she just wants to protect the girl that no one else will.





	I'll Take You Home

**Author's Note:**

> **Author Note:** Wow I'm not good at summaries, but this is the first time I've ever tried to write anything like this, so I hope it's okay (๑´•ω • `๑) Thanks to the mods for being so sweet and I hope the fic isn't too terrible!!

Park Chanyeol was a girl of simple interests. She didn’t care for what many her age did- while most she knew spent their free time browsing stores for cute clothes or new makeup, she much preferred mindlessly strumming at her guitar in the comforts of her own room. While other girls gossiped and spoke endlessly of all the cutest boys in their school over lunch, she’d eat her own on the school rooftop with her handful of friends.

This isn’t to say that any or either of them were ‘better’ or ‘right’ when it came to how they chose to spend their time, but rather that Chanyeol tended to stick out a bit.

She supposes that’s why so many people, both boys and girls, find themselves attracted to her- because she’s something different. And while Chanyeol doesn’t necessarily condone being held up on a pedestal by those around her, she supposes it’s better than being beat up for not conforming to their norms.

Not that anyone would dare try to attack her anyways. She tended to exude a confidence that intimidated most people, with most being too scared to even approach her before she was deemed cool.

Chanyeol could only sigh as she hurriedly shoved her books in her locker, grabbing her lunch and walking out before anyone could stop her to try to talk.

How troublesome.

She was just a regular transferee a few months ago. The whole mess only started when she unknowingly helped one of the most popular girls in the school out of a tough situation. The word spread quickly amongst the student body, and next thing Chanyeol knew, she was _the_ person to be around.

A part of her just wishes she could go back to those first few weeks when no one knew her and no one bothered her. But now, she had girls swarming her asking for her skincare tips and boys coming up with flowers asking to take her out on dates. At this point, she can’t even be bothered to tell them she’s less than interested in dating any of them-though at some point, it became less of rejecting them because she didn’t know them well enough and more of her just not preferring to get romantically involved with anyone of the opposite sex.

Surprise! Park Chanyeol is gay!

Not that any of the student body (save for her small group of friends) knows this. She stopped disclosing this piece of information about herself a while ago, ever since she confessed to her first love, the girl at the time looking at Chanyeol in terror when she had asked her out. She’s learned since then.

She makes her way up the stairwell, shouldering the roof doors open as she stretched her neck, the sun glaring down on her. It had been abnormally warm for mid-autumn, Chanyeol tempted to return to her summer uniform to spare herself the pain of heatstroke in this weather. Her friends called her dramatic. She scoffed. It wasn’t her fault she wasn’t born with an inferno body like the rest of them.

“Yeol!” Sehun called, gesturing the girl over as she practically ripped her blazer off her body. “Woah, glad to know you’re happy to see me. But if you wanted to get naked with me, all you had to do was ask.” He finished with a wink. Chanyeol rolled her eyes, walking up to smack him.

“As if. I pride myself on having standards, Sehun.”

The boy sighed, “So you keep telling me. Honestly, I question your tastes if you have the gall to reject _me_ of all people.”

Chanyeol flashed him a smile as she sat down next to him, putting down her lunch in front of her. “Maybe if you spent less time with your head in your ass, I’d consider it.”

“Is that a promise?”

Jongin laughed. “Stop bringing his hopes up, Yeol. We all know you can’t date Sehun over here because you’re _madly_ in love with me.”

“I really need to reconsider eating lunch with other people,” Chanyeol said, taking a bite of rice. “Or maybe rocks. Those are quiet. They look better than you guys too.”

“Wow, Yeol’s really taking out the big guns, huh?” Chanyeol turned at the voice coming up behind her to see Yifan approaching, sitting down next to Chanyeol. “About time someone put you idiots in place. You get like three confessions in a month and you think you’re hot shit.”

“Is Yifan still angry that Junmyeon isn’t paying attention to her?” Jongin muttered. Yifan narrowed her eyes.

“You can shut the fuck up. I couldn’t care less if Junmyeon was paying attention to me or not, what do I care about that stupid little-“

“Fan-Fan’s got it bad,” Sehun whistled. “I knew you had a crush on the dude, but this is some next-level shit.”

“No one asked you, Sehun.”

Chanyeol smiled as her friends bickered. Since the day she transferred, they were the only ones she had found didn’t annoy the shit out of her. Sure, they were total idiots, but so was she. Chanyeol had first met Sehun and Yifan in her homeroom class, the former not even bothering to learn her name before asking her out on a date. The girl was taken aback at the action, bursting out in laughter right at that minute. Yifan congratulated her on her sense, inviting her to eat lunch with them. The rest was history.

“-And can you even _believe_ that he asked me to straighten out my uniform when I asked him if he had plans for tonight? And then he just walked away! Like, who even _does_ that?” Yifan almost shouted, angrily throwing her blazer to the ground.

“This is why I don’t fuck around with dudes like Junmyeon,” Sehun said. “You shouldn’t bother with him, honestly.”

“Junmyeon is where you cross the line?” Jongin scoffed. “And here I thought you’d hit on anything that moves.”

“Hey, I’m not _that_ desperate.”

“You hit on a lunch lady the other day-“

“They were serving chocolate pudding and I wanted to see if she’d give me extra!”

“Smell that?” Yifan asked, sniffing at the air. “Smells an awful lot like desperation.”

“Shut up.”

“You know, while there’s nothing I enjoy more than feeling my brain cells die listening to you talk, I should get going.” Chanyeol said as she took the last few bites of her lunch. Jongin frowned.

“Chanyeollie’s always so quick to get rid of us,” he said dramatically with a pout. “Perhaps she doesn’t love us like she used to.”

The tall girl smiled, grabbing her blazer off the floor. “Aw Jongin, don’t be silly. That would require me loving you in the first place.”

Yifan laughed. “She’s got a point there. See you after school?” she asked as Chanyeol put her uniform back on, lunchbox in hand.

“Ah, not today. I have some stuff to do with the music teacher.”

“As long as you’re not doing the music teacher.” Sehun muttered.

“Oh shut up, you’re just jealous I could get into her pants if I wanted to.”

“Why is everyone always against me?” Sehun whined. “I’m the baby of the group, you guys are supposed to take care of me!”

“We are, you little brat. If we didn’t put you in your place, then who else would? Can’t let your ego inflate _that_ much, now can we?”

“You guys are all rude.”

Chanyeol looked over her shoulder as she sent the youngest a wink. “Love you too!”

~~~~~

Though the skies are still bright when Chanyeol leaves the school, she knows it’s only a matter of time before the sun disappears, taking all the light away with it. She had only meant to stay back for an hour at most, but found it hard to leave when the music teacher kept her back to talk to Chanyeol about her interest in music.

It began after she had left her guitar in the music room in the morning so she’d have it for her music class and the teacher had taken notice of it. The instrument was her father’s from years ago, covered in small scratches and dents here and there from typical wear, but still as beautifully polished as it has always been.

The teacher, it seemed, shared Chanyeol’s passion for the guitar, the two spending hours just discussing their love for the instrument. By the time Chanyeol left the school, the music teacher invited her back into the music room any time, happy to give the girl access to the instruments present, as well as discuss music again.

Chanyeol smiles as she walks down to the bus stop, absentmindedly kicking a pebble down the road as she readjusts the guitar case on her back. She takes a moment to flip through the music on her phone, trying to find something to fill the silence. She stretches her neck around as music floods her ears, brows furrowing and head straightening out when her sights fall on a girl a little further up the road.

The girl was small in stature, dressed in the same school uniform that Chanyeol was in. She seemed to be going towards the same bus shelter, hobbling forward with her school bag pressed against her chest. The closer Chanyeol got to the small girl, the more she seemed to shake, soft sniffles turning to soft sobs. It was clear when they were in the small bus shelter together that she was biting her lip hard, trying to hide her tears even when it was clear she was crying.

Chanyeol shifted on her feet awkwardly, looking at the girl on the bench every so often and sticking her neck out to see if the bus had come. After the nth time checking for the bus that didn’t seem to be coming any time soon, Chanyeol sighed, digging through her schoolbag. She smiled when she found a small package of tissues, pulling one out and squatting slightly in an awkward stance in front of the seated girl, trying to adjust her skirt so she wouldn’t accidentally flash the stranger in the process. She didn’t need another thing to cry about.

“Hey,” Chanyeol said softly, putting a consoling hand on her shoulder, other hand offering her the tissue. “Are you alright?”

The girl looked up at Chanyeol with glassy eyes, the taller girl trying to offer her a comforting smile as the girl sheepishly reached out for the tissue to wipe her eyes.

“I might not know what you’re going through right now, but I’m sure things will get better soon,” the tall girl said. “Especially if you’re crying over a boy,” she added as an afterthought. “They’re all dumb anyways- you’d know if you met my friend Sehun. He’s so desperate he hit on a lunch lady the other day. He thinks if he does it they’ll give him more pudding.”

Chanyeol feels some relief in her chest when she hears the girl chuckle softly as she wipes her tears. The taller girl smiles widely.

“There we go!” she says, “What a beautiful smile you have. And to think I almost missed it.”

“Thank you,” she says softly, voice raspy but a small smile on her face nonetheless. “I really appreciate this.”

“It’s no problem,” Chanyeol said, giving her a shoulder a soft squeeze. “Just do me a favour? Smile more, you’re so pretty when you smile. It suits you so much better than tears do.”

She sees the smaller girl nod, Chanyeol nodding back in acknowledgement as she straightened back up just as the bus pulled up to the stop.

“Well, this is me,” she announced. “Drink some water when you’re home and remember to smile that beautiful smile, okay? Maybe I’ll see you again around?” Chanyeol asked, waving the girl goodbye as the smaller nodded with a light blush on her cheeks. Chanyeol boarded the bus, giving her one last smile before it sped away.

~~~~~

The weekend comes faster than Chanyeol realizes, the girl finding herself sleepy eyed in the middle of a supermarket with a basket filled with snacks hanging off her arm. She yawned, holding up a sweater-covered hand to her mouth as she used her free hand to inspect a bag of potato chips. She shrugged, plopping it into her basket with the rest of them, carding a hand through her hair as she continued down the aisle.

She stops in her tracks when she enters the next aisle, seeing a familiar girl frowning as her gaze flitted from one hand to the other, each holding a box of tea.

The girl still hadn’t noticed Chanyeol there, the tall girl finding herself smiling, wanting to say hello, but the words died in her throat as she took a step forward.

The small girl was wearing a thin cardigan over a simple shirt, long black pants covering every last inch of skin down to her ankles. Her hair was tied back in a low ponytail, just enough to get the hair out of her face and expose the bruises and scratches on the back and sides of her neck. Though the rest of her upper body was covered, similar splotches of dark spots could be seen all across her arms when Chanyeol looked hard enough.

Chanyeol bit her lip as the girl put down one of the boxes, turning to leave. The tall girl almost wanted to reach out to her, follow her and make sure she was okay, but instead finds herself balling her hands into fists as the girl walks away.

 _It’s not your business,_ Chanyeol reminds herself. _Don’t get involved in other people’s shit._

~~~~~

On Monday morning, Chanyeol sits on the bus, squirming in her seat as she adjusted and readjusted her uniform. She watched the city pass by her as she stared out the bus windows, thoughts wandering back to that girl from the bus stop every so often.

She sighed as the bus rolled to a stop just short of the school gates, shuffling out of her seat and out the bus as she slung the strap of her bag over her shoulder.

Chanyeol laced her fingers behind her neck, stretching it back with a soft groan. She really needed to stop sleeping at her desk, it was starting to take a toll on her neck.

“Did you hear about Baekhyun?” an unknown voice asked near the tall girl’s ear. She jumped a bit, turning to face the girl speaking behind her but deflated when she realized the girl was talking to her friend.

The other girl scoffed. “What _about_ that little bitch?”

“I heard she was fucking the math teacher so he’d raise her grade.”

“Yeah, what’s new? You think that stupid bitch got top scores by studying? She’s a little slut, everyone knows it. She even tried making a move on the class president once.”

The girl huffed. “The _class president?_ Can you believe that disgusting little fag? Who does she think she is?”

“Probably thinks she’s a lot prettier than she is.” The other says, both girls laughing boisterously.

Chanyeol rolled her eyes, curling her hands into fists.

She really hated people at her school sometimes.

The tall girl walked faster towards the school doors, not before sending a deadly glance back at the girls, finding satisfaction at the sight of them shrinking back a bit.

She can’t stop the sigh that escapes her lips when she slung her bag onto her desk, her body following soon after on the chair in front of it.

“Someone seems a little grumpy~” her friend singsongs, leaning closer to her seat.

“Shut the fuck up, Jongdae.”

“Aw, Yeollie, when did you get this mean?” her friend pouted, dramatically falling onto the tall girl’s arm.

“When did you get this annoying?”

Jongdae pouted. “That’s a pretty dumb question. I’ve always been annoying. Did you only just now notice this?”

Chanyeol’s lips split into a small smile as she gently pushed her friend away. “I can’t bully you if you play along, dumbo.”

Jongdae leaned back in her chair, stretching her legs out. “Ah yeah, that’s right. Sorry. Next time I’ll try to be a more cooperative victim.”

“I’m glad you’re so understanding, Dae. What would I do without you?”

“Cry yourself to sleep every night, probably. But I suspect you do that anyways.”

Chanyeol scoffed. “And why is that?”

“My theory is that you’re actually madly in love with me, and you bully me to try to ignore your feelings because you know society wouldn’t accept our love. Or maybe because I’m in a committed relationship but you still can’t stop your feelings for me. But you know, they’re just theories.” Jongdae finished with a wink.

“Wow… So, is everyone at this school as self centered as you shits?”

“Nah, it’s just us.”

“Wow, I really lucked out then, didn’t I?”

“You bet your flat ass you did.”

Chanyeol opened her mouth, ready to bite back at the shorter girl but stops when she hears the loud footsteps of her teacher enter the room, Jongdae looking back with a shrug and her signature smile, corners of her mouth turned upwards.

The tall girl narrowed her eyes back, only to have Jongdae send her finger hearts back. Chanyeol tries not to roll her eyes as she faces forward, pretending to listen to whatever her old, monotonous teacher had to say.

She doodles endlessly in her small composition book between copying down formulas and examples off the board, letting out a soft sigh as she spared a glance to the clock. Her head was spinning with the endless flurry of numbers scrawled all across the board, seemingly random and unrelated from each other. She couldn’t wait another ten minutes for lunch to start. She needed to get out, now.

She raised her hand, quickly excusing herself from class, closing the door behind her and leaning on it for a moment, taking a deep breath. How anyone could stand being in that room for more than an hour honestly baffled her. She stretched out her legs, walking through the halls of the school before finding the nearest bathroom, shouldering the door open. If she didn’t have anywhere to go, she might as well hide out where wandering teachers wouldn’t catch her.

The room was occupied, that was for certain. The particularly loud voices audible once the tall girl had taken a step in were more than enough evidence of that.

Chanyeol walked further into the bathroom, past a curve to see a trio of girls huddled around a corner, laughing to themselves. She narrowed her eyes at their backs. Something seemed off. She tried to shake the thoughts from her head for a moment, busying herself with the sink nearest to where the girls stood.

“Can you believe her?” one of the girls asked with another laugh. “Stupid bitch can’t even fucking talk anymore.”

“Cat got your tongue?” another girl asked condescendingly, Chanyeol only now realizing there was a girl on the floor that the three were surrounding.

 _Stay out of it,_ Chanyeol thought to herself. _It’s not your business._

“What’s wrong, huh? Afraid we’ll tell everyone your little secret?”

Another scoffs. “As if there’s anyone in this school who doesn’t already know you’re a gross little fag anyways.”

Chanyeol turns around just in time to see one of the girls rear her leg back, sending it straight into the girl on the floor. She clenches her fist as she moves without thinking, grabbing another girl’s raised arm just as it’s about to swing down and pulling her away.

The two other girls stepped back in surprise. Chanyeol tsked.

“You three are really troublesome, you know that?” she asked, voice low and threatening. “Get the fuck away from her.”

One of the girls stepped forward defensively, very clearly trying to seem more composed than she must have felt in the moment. “Why are you even defending that disgusting little faggot, Chanyeol? She’s fucking _defective.”_

“Because I think people who beat up others to make themselves feel better about their own shitty lives are garbage,” she said, throwing the girl’s arm out of her hand, sending the girl stumbling forwards. “You heard me. Get the fuck away from her.”

She cracked her knuckles, trying to stop the satisfied grin spreading across her face as the girls exchanged looks, all backing up as Chanyeol held out a hand for the girl to take.

“Come on, let’s get out of here.” Chanyeol says to the girl in fetal position, the small girl raising her head slightly, just enough to see the tall girl’s outstretched hand. She takes it gingerly, head still hung as she let Chanyeol pull her up and walk her out of the bathroom.

“Are you alright?”

The small girl raised her head, Chanyeol’s eyes widening when she saw the same broken face of the girl at the bus stop the other day. Her eyes were once again brimming with tears. Chanyeol set her lips in a straight line, as the bell rang, dismissing the rest of the students for lunch.

“Let’s get out of here.” Chanyeol said, leading the small girl out of the school. They stopped out on the empty soccer field, cool breeze brushing past bare legs in as they stood in the isolated patch of land.

The tall girl sighed, pushing her hair back as she watched the small girl trembling. “What’s going on?” she asked. There was a pregnant pause between the two before the small girl spoke up.

“They’re right,” she says softly, “Everything they said… They were right.”

“They… what?”

“I’m disgusting. I’m gross and worthless and defective and-“ the small girl nearly continued on, tears now freely falling down her cheeks. Chanyeol held her hands on either of the girl’s arms.

“Hey, hey, don’t say that… What do those little shits even know about you? All people like them do are drag others down so they can feel good about themselves. Don’t listen to them.”

“B-But I-“

“They’re liars and assholes. Don’t let them get to you.”

The smaller girl stayed silent for some time after, the only sound between the two being the soft breeze rustling through the short grass.

“Do you always let them push you around like this?” Chanyeol asked softly. The girl averted her eyes. “Why?”

“I don’t know what else to do…”

The tall girl paused for a moment. “You call me. I’ll come beat them up for you.”

“But… I… We barely even know each other. Why would you do that for me?”

“You’re a good person.”

“You don’t even know my name.”

“I don’t need to know it to tell. I like to think my intuition is pretty good,” Chanyeol added with a wide smile. “But if you think it’d help, I’m Chanyeol.” She says, holding out a hand for the girl to take.

“Baekhyun.” She responds, shaking the girl’s hand.

“There,” Chanyeol says with a small laugh. “It’s almost like we’re best friends already.”

~~~~~

The two end up spending the other half of their lunch time together, Chanyeol knowing her friends were probably gone from their spot on the roof. Chanyeol follows Baekhyun where she normally eats her lunch, tucked away in a quiet corner of the school’s library. The space fits Baekhyun’s small frame perfectly, while Chanyeol struggles to just tuck her legs in comfortably.

“You don’t have to stay with me,” the small girl says as she grabs her lunch from her bag. “They normally leave me alone for the rest of the day, I’ll be okay on my own.”

“Who said I was staying for you?” Chanyeol asked with a small grin. “Maybe I just wanted to sit down and read about…” the tall girl began, tilting her head to read the titles off a book on the shelf. “S-Stellar Evolution and… Nucleo… Nucleoscientists.”

“That says Nucleosynthesis.”

“Close enough,” Chanyeol hummed, looking around the small area. They were surrounded by tall bookshelves, making it hard for anyone not looking for science textbooks to find them. It was blatantly clear to Chanyeol from the moment she sat in the dusty little corner of the library that it was an area not many often visited. “Why do you sit back here anyways? All that’s back here is spider webs and dust.”

“It’s quiet. I like quiet.”

“Don’t you ever get lonely?”

“It’s better than being around other people,” Baekhyun laughed humourlessly. “They don’t seem to like me very much, anyways.”

“Why do they come after you like that?”

“They’ve been doing it for years now. They don’t agree with…” Baekhyun trailed off, fiddling with her fingers as if she didn’t know what to say next.

Chanyeol had a hunch, but bit her lip, not wanting to force the girl to talk about something she may not want to. Instead, she finds herself standing up, stretching her back with her hands on the back of her neck as she looked down at the girl.

“We’re in the same grade, yeah? Your class shouldn’t be too far from mine. I’ll find you at lunch tomorrow. Come eat lunch with me and some friends. It might be nice to get away from this corner, anyways. I like to think we’re better company than spiders.”

Baekhyun chuckled softly, though this time, it sounded much sweeter than before.

“I told you smiling suited you,” Chanyeol said with a smile to mirror the girl’s. “Come on, we should get going if we’re gonna make it back to class in time. I’ll see you tomorrow for lunch?”

The small girl nodded. “Tomorrow.”

~~~~~

Chanyeol peeks her head into the each of the classrooms around hers as the school erupts with noise following the lunch bell. People poured from the classrooms, a few of the students stopping her to talk for a moment. She dismissed most of them with non-committal hums as she continued down the hall. She smiled as she stepped into the room, finding Baekhyun's small frame hunched over her desk, digging through her bag.

"Hey!" Chanyeol called, the girl's head shooting up before her mouth split into a small smile. "I hope you didn't forget about our lunch plans."

Baekhyun closed her bag, slinging it over her shoulder. "I didn't forget," she said with another smile. "Lead the way."

Chanyeol returned her smile, leading the smaller up the winding staircase and up to the rooftop's doors.

"A-Are we allowed up here?" Baekhyun asked tentatively as Chanyeol shouldered the door open.

"Iunno," the girl said, shrinking back a bit at the bright sun shining through into the dark stairwell. "But it's quiet and you like quiet."

Baekhyun pursed her lips but still followed Chanyeol through the door.

"Yeol!" Yifan called out as the rooftop doors closed.

"Who's your friend?" Sehun asked, sitting up straight as he eyed the girl up and down.

"Stop looking at the poor girl like a piece of meat, will ya you creep?" Yifan asked, narrowing her eyes at the younger.

"Yeah Sehun, stop being such a creep." Jongin added with a laugh.

"Shut up, it's not like you're much better."

Chanyeol rolled her eyes, sitting down on the gravelly floor, patting the empty space next to her for Baekhyun.

"Where'd you find this little cutie anyways Yeol?"

"This _little cutie_ is Baekhyun," Chanyeol said, narrowing her eyes at Sehun. "And you aren't gonna try anything on her, is that clear?"

"Yeesh, have some faith, will ya?"

“You’ll have to excuse Sehun, he hits on anything that moves. And probably things that don’t move too. He’s honestly just desperate at this point.”

“Oh hey, weren’t you in my class last year?” Yifan asked, leaning a head on Sehun’s shoulder. “Byun Baekhyun, right? You were always so quiet,” she continued with a smile. “How’d you get stuck with Chanyeol?”

The two girls shared an unsure glance before Chanyeol spoke up.

“I saw her alone in the library yesterday. She was cute so I asked her if she wanted to come and eat with us.”

“Already trying to wifey her up, huh?” Jongdae whistled. “Careful with this one, eh Baek? She may be cute but she’ll break your heart. Girl gets around.”

“Shut up, no I don’t.”

“You’ve been asked out by over half the guys in our graduating class this week alone and all that’s left to show for it is the trail of broken hearts she left in her wake. If that’s not what you call a total heartbreaker, I don’t know what is.”

“Okay, but that’s because I-“ Chanyeol began before turning to a confused Baekhyun. She closed her mouth. “I’m not like that.” She muttered, pouting as she stared into her lunch box. Her head perked up when she heard soft chuckling from beside her.

Baekhyun’s mouth was split into a small grin, soft laughter escaping. “I-I’m sorry,” she said between giggles. “It’s just that you looked almost like a kicked puppy. It was cute.”

“Looks like Baek thrives off your misfortune as much as we do,” Yifan said with a laugh. “It’s like she’s already one of us.”

~~~~~

“I like Baekhyun,” Jongin announced as he packed his things away in his bag on Chanyeol’s desk. “You should invite her back for lunch tomorrow.”

Chanyeol smiled. “That’s good. I hope everyone liked her too. It’d be really nice for her to not be alone as much anymore.”

Jongin gave his friend an understanding smile. “You’ve heard the shit they say about her, haven’t you?”

The girl raised her head up from her own bag. Jongin sighed.

“I only really got to talk to her in elementary school, back when things were less shitty and she was a little less shy. They started going after her in middle school when they realized she was… different. She’s always been smart and shy, and I guess it just made it easier for those people to bully her.”

Chanyeol bit her lip, holding her breath as Jongin spoke.

“What did she ever do to them?”

Jongin shrugged, lips set into a tight line as he grabbed his bag, flinging it over his shoulder. “People are assholes, Chanyeol. If they see someone that doesn’t conform into what they think is right, they try to get rid of them.”

Chanyeol spared the boy a soft laugh as she followed him out of the class. “Jeez, when did you get this good with words?”

Jongin chuckled. “I guess I'm just annoyed. Just… look out for her, will ya?”

The tall girl sighed as they walked out of the school, already catching sight of Baekhyun sitting at the bus stop, short legs swinging back and forth. She smiled.

“Of course.”

~~~~~

She hears them before she sees them.

Chanyeol was on her way to the library to find Baekhyun before classes started in the morning, coming to school early knowing that Baekhyun liked the relative quiet of the library in the mornings to study.

She was about to call out for the small girl walking through the large doors when she heard the incessant laughter of a group of girls nearby.

If she wasn’t paying more attention, she would’ve dismissed the group as a bunch of underclassmen with nothing better to do. She caught a glance of one of the girls, clenching her jaw when she saw the face of the girl who had kicked Baekhyun in the bathroom.

Just as Baekhyun disappeared through the double doors, the girls exchanged looks before following her in.

Chanyeol sighed. It was too early for this shit.

The tall girl hurried through the doors, silently hoping the girls didn’t know where Baekhyun normally sat. Chanyeol traipsed through the aisles, trying to look as unsuspecting as possible as she made it over to Baekhyun’s little corner, the small girl sitting comfortably with a book perched on her lap.

Chanyeol couldn’t help but smile. “Stellar Evolution and Nucleosynthesizers?” she asked, taking a brief look at the cover. Baekhyun looked down.

“It’s Nucleosynthesis, and it sounded interesting enough…” she mumbled.

Chanyeol chuckled. “I might have something a bit more interesting than some dusty old textbook.”

“I happen to like astrophysics,” Baekhyun said with a small pout. “What do you have to show me?”

“You’ll see if you come with me.”

“That’s more than a little questionable.”

“Do you trust me?”

Baekhyun pursed her lips, pausing for a moment.

“Wow, okay, a little hurtful, but I’ll forgive you if you come with me now.”

“Why are you so adamant about this?” Baekhyun asked, getting up from her seat and returning the book to its spot on the shelf nonetheless.

Chanyeol smiled. “I promise you won’t regret it.”

Baekhyun rolls her eyes with a small smile, following the tall girl out of the library and through the relatively empty halls. They stop when they reach a small hallway, almost disconnected from the rest of the school. Baekhyun furrowed her brows.

“The music room?”

Chanyeol nodded, pulling her keyring out and unlocking the door. “I had a talk with the music teacher a while back, and she gave me a key. Told me I was welcome anytime I needed instruments.”

“Is it okay for you to bring me along? I feel like I’m intruding a bit.”

The tall girl pushed the door open. “Well, can you play any instruments?”

“Well, yes, but-“

“Which ones?”

“Piano, but that’s beside the point!” Baekhyun said, worrying her lower lip with her teeth. “What do we do if the music teacher comes in and sees me here?”

“Then we’ll tell her that you’re here because I need an accompaniment for my solo.”

“You’re performing a solo? For what?”

“Correction- _we’re_ performing. It’s for my music class, and I’ve been needing an accompaniment anyways. Come on, we only have another half an hour or so before class starts and we shouldn’t be spending all our time standing outside, should we?”

Baekhyun sighs, stepping into the room. The large room smelled of brass, her feet making an audible shuffling sound on the carpeted floor. Chanyeol sat down on the piano bench, patting the spot next to her as an invitation for the smaller girl.

“Do you know how to play Moon of Seoul?” she asked. Baekhyun sighed, sitting down next to Chanyeol.

“It was actually one of my favourite songs growing up,” she said, hands ghosting over the keyboard. “It was one of the first songs I learned on piano, too.”

“How long have you been playing?”

Baekhyun’s hands moved across the keyboard playing the song’s soft melody, the girl looking off into the distance as if the movements were automatic. “Sometime when I was 12? I just remember begging my parents for piano lessons.” She said with a soft laugh. Chanyeol smiled, hands moving up to the piano as well, pressing down on the keys every so often in time with Baekhyun. The small girl smiled, humming along to the music- softly at first, soon getting louder and louder until she was singing along with the song.

Baekhyun’s singing was much more unique than what Chanyeol normally heard in her class, her notes a lot clearer and voice much stronger.

Though her voice was soft when she sang, it had a certain confidence that her normal speaking lacked. It was surprising to Chanyeol, who had the exact opposite problem, finding herself much more timid and self-conscious when singing compared to speaking as usual.

Chanyeol was still stuck in her reverie by the time Baekhyun’s hands returned to her lap, almost in a trance until Baekhyun poked her side.

“How have you been hiding that voice from me for so long?” Chanyeol asked, slightly incredulous.

“I mean, we’ve only really known each other for about a week,” Baekhyun laughed. “Plus, I’m not too sure I was hiding it in the first place.”

“Maybe _I_ should be _your_ accompaniment instead.”

“I’m flattered, but we can’t do that. I can’t sing in front of large groups of people. One or two is fine but any more than 5 and I get anxious.”

Chanyeol hummed. “Then we’ll figure something else for class and you can sing when we’re alone.” She said with a smile.

Baekhyun narrowed her eyes slightly, but her mouth split into a small smile nonetheless. “Hey, who said I agreed to performing with you?”

“Well, in that case, would you do me the honour?”

The small girl pursed her lips. “I’ll think about it.”

“Does that mean yes?”

“Maybe.”

“I’m taking that as a yes!”

“Take it as a maybe,” Baekhyun said with a wider smile, standing up as she smoothed out her uniform. “I should get going, class is gonna start soon.”

Chanyeol leaned back on the small bench, watching as Baekhyun moved to open the door.

“See you at lunch?”

Baekhyun turned around just as she left the room, peeking her head in the small gap between the door.

“See you at lunch.”

~~~~~

For some time, their interactions become more frequent. Though never completely agreeing to accompany Chanyeol in her performance, Baekhyun still visits the taller girl in the music room before and after class, sometimes coming with textbooks to study and other times just to play the piano alongside Chanyeol.

When they weren’t in the music room together, Chanyeol would visit her smaller friend in the library, finding her in her usual corner just to sit down and talk. The smaller girl would often smile, telling Chanyeol to leave her alone so she could study, but both knew that she didn’t really mean it. But the taller girl would still occasionally feign walking away just to see Baekhyun flustered, trying to get her to stay.

Which is why it confuses Chanyeol to some degree when she sits alone in the music room, just as she had been doing for the past week. Baekhyun was nowhere to be seen. Chanyeol hadn’t thought much of it at first- after all, the smaller girl had never actually agreed to be her accompaniment and really had no obligation to be there. But when Chanyeol goes to find Baekhyun at her normal spot in the library and finds nothing but cobwebs and dust, she knows something’s wrong.

She peers her head into Baekhyun’s class as the day ends, frowning when she realizes the smaller girl wasn’t there. She deflates a little as she walks down the crowded halls, brushing past the rest of the students, biting her lip as she walks down the halls.

For a moment, she considers going back to the music room to practice, but sees no point. She hadn’t been able to do anything productive as of late, finding herself watching the door more than she did her sheet music.

She held onto the strap of her backpack a little tighter as she walked up the endless stairs up to the roof. She shrunk back a bit at the sight of the bright sun, blinking it out of her eyes as she looked around the roof.

Chanyeol could almost feel the weight lift off her chest when she saw Baekhyun curled up on the edge of the roof, peering down below through the fencing, blazer left sitting at her feet.

“Baekhyun!” the tall girl yelled, seeing the smaller jump a bit before turning her head, quickly facing away when she met Chanyeol’s gaze. “Where have you been all week?” she asked, walking up to the girl. “I was worried you-“

Chanyeol stopped when she got closer, getting a good look at Baekhyun. Though the small girl was clearly trying to hide her face, the damage done to it was clear. Her lip was swollen, a prominent cut stretched down her lower lip. Similar scratches decorated her cheeks, travelling down her neck and arms paired with discoloured skin.

The tall girl let out the breath she didn’t realize she was holding, Baekhyun shying away as much as she could before Chanyeol sat next to her, putting a hand on the girl’s shoulder. The smaller jumped a bit, but allowed the taller to trail a calloused hand down her arm, pulling it away from her body to inspect the damage.

“Baek…” she breathed. “What did they do to you?”

The small girl wore a broken smile as she tried to hide herself again. “It’s nothing I’m not used to… They’ve been doing this since we were little, I’ve gotten used to it.”

“Baek, you and I both know that’s not the point,” Chanyeol said softly, letting go of Baekhyun’s arm to dig through her bag for some spare band-aids. “Who did this to you?”

“It doesn’t matter who did it… I’m okay, really.”

Chanyeol sighed as she peeled back the wax paper from the band-aid, leaning forward to apply it to a cut on the girl’s face.

“It does matter, Baekhyun. These assholes think it’s okay to push you around and beat you up, and for what? Because they’re too insecure about themselves that they need to hurt other people to feel better? Why should you be their punching bag?”

Baekhyun looked down, fiddling with her fingers. She stayed silent for a moment, swallowing hard. “You know why they bully me, don’t you?” she asked so softly that Chanyeol almost missed it. “You know they beat me up because they know I… they know I’m different.”

“There’s nothing wrong with being different, Baekhyun.”

“But I’m…” Baekhyun began, sighing as she tilted her head back, eyes brimming with tears. “I don’t… like guys.”

Chanyeol offered her a comforting smile, tilting the smaller’s chin towards her as she peeled open another band-aid, applying it to her face.

“So what if you don’t like guys?” she said, pausing to chuckle softly. “I don’t either.”

“Y-You… don’t?”

Chanyeol hummed, taking off her blazer and offering it to the smaller when she saw how dirty Baekhyun’s was, probably thrown in the mud, possibly with the small girl still in it if the dried dirt on her legs was any indication. The taller girl rose to her feet with a small groan, holding out her hand for the smaller to take.

“Nah… It’s not that it matters, anyways. You should know that I don’t care who you wanna date. No one should care enough to… do shit like this to you,” Chanyeol said with a sigh. Baekhyun bit her lip, taking the taller’s hand and hoisting herself up. “Who hurt you, Baek?”

“It’s not important… What’s done is done. I don’t want any more violence because of me.”

“So you’re just gonna keep letting them beat you up like this?”

Baekhyun stayed quiet. “Maybe it was my fault in the end anyways.”

“Baek, it’s not your fault-“

“I liked someone I probably shouldn’t have and those other girls didn’t like it. Maybe it was just because I was too obvious about it,” she said with a humourless laugh. “Maybe it was just because they didn’t like the idea of me not knowing my place.”

Chanyeol frowned, watching as Baekhyun’s gaze got farther and farther before the taller grabbed the smaller’s hand. Baekhyun jumped a bit, eyes going from their intertwined hands up to Chanyeol’s face.

“Let’s not think about that for now, yeah?” Chanyeol asked softly, tugging on the girl’s hand. “Let’s go out. Do something. Get your mind off it.”

“I…”

“How about we go get ice cream? Is that okay with you?”

Baekhyun smiled, her first genuine smile of the day. Chanyeol’s heart fluttered a little at the sight. “Isn’t it like 10º today? Isn’t that a little cold for ice cream?”

Chanyeol smiled back, holding onto Baekhyun’s hand a little tighter. “I like to believe that there’s never a bad time for ice cream. To me, every weather is ice cream weather.”

“Alright,” Baekhyun chuckled softly. “Ice cream it is then.”

~~~~~

They walk over to one of the city streets not too far from their school, stopping by a rather small ice cream shop on the street. Baekhyun walks first, dainty hands pressed onto the door as she pushed it open, warmth enveloping the two the moment they step into the store.

Baekhyun gestures for Chanyeol to find them a spot in the small seating area, coming back a few minutes later with two cups of ice cream in hand. She set the cups on the table, sliding into the seat across from Chanyeol’s as the tall girl picked up the miniature spoon, scooping up the dessert and letting the spoon hang outside her mouth as she smiled around it.

“Strawberry, huh?”

Baekhyun nodded as she took a small scoop of her own. “It’s always been my favourite… I hope you don’t mind it.”

“Strawberry’s great. You’re great.”

The smaller girl raised a brow, an unsure smile forming on her lips. “I’m with you on the strawberry thing but I don’t know about that second one.”

“Well, I do know. You’re a great person, Baek.”

“We haven’t even known each other that long…”

“I told you, we don’t have to know each other for long,” Chanyeol said tapping her temple with a wink. “It’s woman’s intuition.”

“You’re dumb.” Baekhyun said, taking a spoonful of her ice cream as she tried to hide her smile.

“May be dumb, but I’m not wrong~”

Baekhyun rolled her eyes as she silently poked at her ice cream. They sat for a while after that, taking small bites between casual conversation until they were scraping the bottoms of their cups.

They step out of the small ice cream parlour a while after, Chanyeol’s arms crossed over her chest as the wind blew past, the tall girl’s blazer still on the smaller’s shoulders.

“Are you cold?” Baekhyun asked, moving to take the blazer off. “You can have your-“

“Nah, I’m okay,” Chanyeol said, putting a hand on Baekhyun’s shoulder to stop her from taking the blazer off. “My place is near here anyways, I’ll survive a few more minutes.”

Baekhyun frowned. “It’s your blazer, you should take it if you’re feeling cold.”

“Really, I’m okay,” Chanyeol said, looking down at the girl. She wouldn’t have even noticed had she not turned her head at that moment, been so close to the smaller girl. Baekhyun’s gaze was to the ground, jaw clenched as she grit her teeth, walking with a slight limp. The tall girl looked at her quizzically. Chanyeol could’ve sworn she was fine inside the ice cream store. “Are… _you_ okay?”

“I’m fine,” Baekhyun said. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Well, to start with, it’s cold outside and you’re somehow sweating buckets. Not to mention the limp you’re walking with.”

“I might’ve just put too much pressure on my leg when we were walking over here. I’ll just go home and rest it.”

“Don’t you live in the opposite direction? You can just come over to my place for now, it’s closer anyways.”

“No, no, I don’t want to inconvenience you any more than I already have-“

“Baekhyun, you’re my friend. You’re not inconveniencing me at all. Come on, it’s getting late anyways, we should get inside before you get any worse.”

The walk to Chanyeol’s home was short, the two at her front door before they even realize it. Chanyeol unlocks the door, shouldering it open before gesturing for Baekhyun to enter. The small girl took tentative steps into the apartment, partially out of the pain in her leg and partially out of awkwardness.

“My parents aren’t gonna be back for a few hours, just make yourself at home,” Chanyeol said, slipping her shoes off, leading the girl further in. She stopped to open one of the doors, flicking on the light switch. “Make yourself comfortable,” Chanyeol said. “I’ll go get us something to drink. Is tea okay with you?”

Baekhyun smiled. “Tea’s great. You’re great.”

“Ha ha,” Chanyeol said, trying to hide the amusement in her tone. “Very funny. Sit down on the bed for now, I’ll be right back.”

“Alright,” Baekhyun said softly, taking a seat on the edge. “Thank you.”

It only took a few minutes before Chanyeol returned, two cups in hand. Baekhyun had her back turned to the door, staring up at Chanyeol’s walls, jumping a bit when the taller cleared her throat.

“Having fun there?” she asked, placing the cups on her nightstand as she took a seat next to the smaller girl.

“You… really like music, don’t you?”

Chanyeol chuckled. “I thought you already knew that about me,” she said, taking a moment to really look around.

She supposed that her room gave that away about her- several pieces of sheet music and composition books laid open on her desk while her walls were covered with posters of classic rock bands. Her guitar was stood up on its stand in the corner of the room, sat right next to her collection of picks and drumsticks.

“I thought you just played piano. I didn’t know you were so passionate about music.”

Chanyeol chuckled. “I guess you could say that…” she said, trailing off before shaking her head. “Never mind about me, how’s your leg?”

“Still in pain, but better.”

“Why didn’t you tell me it was injured earlier?” Chanyeol asked, getting to her feet and stepping into her bathroom, rustling through the cupboards.

“I didn’t think it was that big of a deal. It wasn’t hurting for a while so I just assumed it’d be okay.”

The tall girl sighed as she sat back down on the bed, first aid kit in hand. “Leg?” she asked, patting her thighs as an invitation for Baekhyun. The smaller girl smiled as she lifted her leg onto the taller’s, Chanyeol’s hands hesitating over the leg, almost silently asking permission from Baekhyun to pull her long sock off.

The small girl leaned forward, slowly pulling it down herself to reveal the discoloured skin. It looked almost like one large bruise running down her entire leg, the girl wincing a bit when Chanyeol’s fingers ghosted over it.

The tall girl bit her lip, going through the small kit for some ointment, rubbing it softly into Baekhyun’s skin.

“It’s nothing I haven’t dealt with before,” Baekhyun said, leaning over a bit to try to meet Chanyeol’s gaze. “Don’t worry too much about it, okay?”

The taller girl stayed quiet for a moment, taking a breath.

“Why didn’t you tell me about this before? You were fine when we were hanging out, right? Why did you stop coming? You could’ve told me. I could’ve helped.”

Baekhyun shook her head softly. “They would’ve gotten to me sooner or later. They don’t like it when I’m near you. They’re always telling me to stay away from you… It’s almost like they’re afraid you’re gonna catch something from me.”

Chanyeol huffed. “This is ridiculous. These girls are _fucking_ ridiculous,” she breathed. “I swear to god, I’ll beat them up myself the next time I see them.”

“Don’t do that…”

“Why shouldn’t I? Who do they think they are, hurting you-“

“They may be mean, but you’re not. Don’t be like them, Chanyeol.”

The tall girl looked Baekhyun in the eyes, deflating a bit when she averted the small girl’s pleading look in silent defeat. Chanyeol was silent as she took the gauze out of the first aid kit, lifting Baekhyun’s leg a bit to secure it on.

“Hey,” Baekhyun said as Chanyeol finished up, moving her leg down. “You have a guitar in here, right? You should play me a song,” she said with a smile. “I don’t suppose you know how to play Moon of Seoul on guitar too?”

Chanyeol looked at Baekhyun, expression a little unsure. Baekhyun leaned over, knocking her shoulder into Chanyeol’s.

“Lighten up,” she said, brushing a hair out of the taller girl’s face. “Smile more, too. You’re so much prettier when you smile.”

Chanyeol couldn’t stop the soft chuckle that escaped her lips after that. “You really have a penchant for reusing my lines, don’t you?”

“I only learn from the best.”

The tall girl smiles as she stands up, stalking over to the corner of the room to grab her guitar.

“I’ll play for you, but only on the condition you sing.”

Baekhyun smiled. “Deal.”

Chanyeol sat herself back on the bed, crossing her legs so that she could face Baekhyun. The guitar was sat comfortably in her lap as she strummed a few experimental notes.

She smiles as she begins the song, already hearing Baekhyun hum along to the music, almost tempted to sing along with her. In the end, she opts to stay quiet, much preferring the sound of Baekhyun’s voice on its own.

They barely realize as the sun goes down, playing into the night until Chanyeol’s parents arrive home. Chanyeol peers her head out of the door, greeting the two before nodding at Baekhyun, gesturing for her to come out.

The tall girl could almost swear she could see the hearts in her mother’s eyes as the woman ran up to Baekhyun fawning over how cute she was. Her body was covered for the most part with one of Chanyeol’s old sweaters, and with it, all the scratches and bruises that came from earlier in the day.

“I just fell earlier… Chanyeol helped me out so I’m doing a lot better now,” she had said when Chanyeol’s mother asked about the bandages on her face.

“How nice of her,” the woman said, almost sounding impressed. “Well, as long as you’re here, you should stay for dinner.”

“Oh, I’ve already bothered you enough, I should be going home anyways.”

“Nonsense, you haven’t bothered us a bit, and no one leaves the Park home on an empty stomach.”

Baekhyun looked to Chanyeol for help, who only shrugged with a smile. Chanyeol’s parents spent the rest of the night asking Baekhyun about herself, drowning the small girl in questions over dinner until Chanyeol decided to get the poor girl away.

“Dinner was great, thanks so much guys, love you!” Chanyeol called as she brought Baekhyun back to her room.

“Your parents are…” Baekhyun said, taking a seat on the bed as Chanyeol closed the door behind them, back pressed against the door.

“Overbearing?” she asked as she pulled away from the door, taking a seat next to Baekhyun.

“Nice. I was gonna say nice. But I guess that works too. They’re very generous people.”

“They always have been. Some people get a little freaked out when they meet them.”

“I think they’re lovely.”

“Lovelier than yours truly?”

Baekhyun rolled her eyes. “Of course not, you’re the loveliest.”

“Aww, do you mean that?”

“Sure.”

“You don’t sound sincere.”

“Sorry,” Baekhyun said, clearing her throat before continuing again, much more dramatic. “You are truly the most beautiful, most thoughtful, most extravagant human being I’ve ever come across in my lifetime. Every night, I dream of having you in my embrace and every morning I eagerly await the moment I can see you once again-“

“Okay, now you’re just being overdramatic.”

Baekhyun chuckled. “What do you want from me then?”

Chanyeol hummed. “What do you _really_ think of me?”

The small girl pursed her lips. “You intimidated me a lot at first.”

“Really?”

“I think that was mostly just because of your height. But then you tried to cheer me up at the bus stop and stayed with me in the library and invited me to come to the music room with you and then I realized you’re actually just one big softie.”

“Am not.”

“Chanyeol, you have five Rilakkuma plushies on your bed.”

“There’s nothing wrong with liking Rilakkuma…” the taller muttered. Baekhyun laughed.

“What about me then? What do you really think of me?”

The taller paused for a moment, taking a good look at Baekhyun. She had a small smile on her face, despite it still being covered in small band-aids. Her eyes sparkled with something Chanyeol hadn’t noticed before.

“I thought you were cute,” Chanyeol began, “And smart, and kind.”

Her hair was matted down but still fell beautifully over her shoulders. She looked so small in that sweater, the fabric looking like it was almost going to swallow her whole.

“And I wasn’t far off from my initial prediction. Though at first, I did see you as soft spoken. I also never would’ve guessed you were as funny or thoughtful as you really are.”

Her lips were a soft pink, a small trail of moles running down the side of her face and ending right above her lip, so small that Chanyeol almost missed it. Her gaze flitted back to meet Baekhyun’s, the smaller girl staring intently at the taller. Chanyeol felt like she could get lost in her eyes for hours.

“You’re really amazing, Baekhyun.”

She could feel Baekhyun’s breath- _When had they gotten so close?_

“Can I…” Chanyeol murmured, cut off by Baekhyun’s lips on her own.

It felt like almost an eternity before they separated, but at the same time, it felt too short for Chanyeol. Baekhyun’s lips were slightly redder than before, cheeks pink as she looked up at the taller.

“I…”

Chanyeol didn’t bother hear the rest of it before she leant in to steal the girl’s lips in another kiss.

“I like you,” Chanyeol said as they parted again, snaking her hand into Baekhyun’s. “I like you a lot.”

Baekhyun smiled, brushing the hair out of her face and behind her ear with her free hand. “I… I like you a lot too.”

“I-“ Chanyeol began, the two jumping a bit when Baekhyun’s phone rang loudly in the otherwise quiet room. Baekhyun smiled sheepishly as she turned away to take the call, muttering before turning to Chanyeol.

“It’s my mom. I have to get going.”

“Stay…” Chanyeol said quietly, hand still intertwined with Baekhyun’s. “My parents are fine with it as long as you are.”

Baekhyun bit her lip as she turned away again, Chanyeol’s thumb rubbing her hand comfortingly as she spoke to her mother. She hung up a few moments later.

“You’re sure this is okay?”

“Positive.”

Baekhyun smiled. “I’m half positive is a ploy so you can kiss me again.”

“And if it is?”

The smaller smiled, leaning forward to capture Chanyeol’s lips in another kiss.

“It worked.”

~~~~~

They go to school together the next day, Chanyeol giving the smaller her blazer for the day. She was fine with going to school without it if it meant that Baekhyun would be more comfortable.

They disembark the bus together, Chanyeol taking Baekhyun’s hand once the both are off. The smaller looks up in surprise but Chanyeol only smiles down at her as she holds on a bit tighter, walking into school proudly with the girl by her side.

It’s evident that Baekhyun is a little embarrassed by the way her ears are reddening, but she has yet to retract her hand and that’s a good sign to Chanyeol.

The girls stop in front of Baekhyun’s classroom, Chanyeol daring to lean down and place a peck on the girl’s cheek before letting go of the girl’s hand.

She could hear a flurry of surprised gasps as she did this, smiling a bit to herself before she could hear footsteps approaching the two angrily.

“W-What’s going on?” one of the girls said. Chanyeol could recognize her as the one who tried following Baekhyun into the library on the first day they spent together in the music room. “Why are you with that disgusting shit?”

Chanyeol raised a brow as Baekhyun hid herself a bit behind the taller. “This ‘disgusting shit’ happens to be my girlfriend, and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t talk about her like that.”

“Your… What?”

“My girlfriend. And you need to get the fuck away from her.”

“B-But Chanyeol,” another one of the girls said. “You can’t _possibly_ be-“

“Be what? Gay? I don’t care what you people have been hyping me up to be, but I’m not the person you think I am. That means I’m sure as hell not straight, and I have absolutely _no_ qualms with beating you into the ground if you touch Baekhyun again.”

The students in the hall go quiet for a moment as the girls share unsure glances, huffing as they run out of the halls. The rest of the crowd disperses, leaving the two to themselves.

“I can’t believe you just did that,” Baekhyun breathes out as she holds onto Chanyeol a little tighter.

Chanyeol smiled, giving her another peck.

“Have a good day, okay? I’ll see you again at lunch.”

“Lunch it is.”

~~~

Needless to say, no one bothers Baekhyun again for the rest of the year.


End file.
